As Trump said, "Some very fine people........."
These Are The Rioters Who Were Arrested Because They Bought Trump’s Dangerous Lies About A Stolen Election
Those arrested include a bodybuilder, a tattoo artist, a member of neo-Confederate and militant groups, a medical professional, an organizer of a Trump boat parade, and a man convicted of attempted first-degree murder.
They came from around the country — a 60-year-old from northern Pennsylvania, a tattoo artist from Illinois. There were members of a neo-Confederate and militant groups, a medical professional, an organizer of a Trump boat parade, and a man convicted of attempted first-degree murder.
Each one of them came to DC because, their social media posts show, they believed the same lie: They were true patriots who were heeding President Donald Trump’s call to keep him in power, by storming the Capitol and stopping Joe Biden’s certification as the presidential election winner.
Instead, they all got arrested.
More than 80 people were charged in Wednesday's insurrection. While some were well-known white supremacists, QAnon believers, and a newly elected West Virginia lawmaker — whose actions inside the Capitol caught the world’s attention in viral photos and videos — many were not as high profile.
A BuzzFeed News review of their social media posts shows the disturbing extent to which the president of the United States encouraged and validated his most ardent supporters’ fringe beliefs and conspiracy theories with his lies, emboldening them to take their anger out on those who stood in his way.
They shared posts echoing Trump’s constant **** about a “stolen election” and conspiracy theories about voter fraud. Some showed a passionate hatred for antifa, Congress, and Democrats, especially Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Several were radicalized by QAnon — the mass delusion that Trump has implicitly endorsed.
“Nothing can stop what is coming,” Zandra Sixkiller-Cramer tweeted more than a week before she was arrested after the deadly assault on the Capitol. She said was prepared to “fight.”
In a tweet on Dec. 29, she objected to the COVID-19 restrictions in Washington, DC, saying, “They think they can stop US from showing up at the Capitol on Jan 6 to #StopTheSteal #Treason Nothing Can Stop What Is Coming #FightForTrump #FightLikeAFlynn #PatriotParty.”
And Sixkiller-Cramer followed through, spurred by the dangerous and delusional lies. She was arrested and charged with unlawful entry.
Most who were arraigned on Thursday were not from the city. A majority were charged for unlawful entry and violating the curfew, but some were charged with unlawful possession of a weapon or assaulting an officer. A man who had attended the riot had brass knuckles on him when he was arrested; several others had guns and ammunition, many without licenses. One young man was charged with assaulting an officer with a “hockey or lacrosse stick.” Those who were arraigned on Thursday afternoon all pleaded not guilty.
A Twitter account that apparently belongs to Sixkiller-Cramer showed that most of her retweets leading up to Jan. 6 included lies about voter fraud from Trump and other right-wing sources. She also retweeted Trump’s tweet encouraging his followers to attend Wednesday’s rally at the Capitol.
Her social media posts include references to QAnon — the mass delusion that preposterously claims Trump is fighting a deep state cabal of child sex abusers. In one post, she used the QAnon slogan “Where we go one we go all WWG1WGA.”
In a Facebook post on Nov. 1, she posted a photo of Trump's face with the words “Let’s Finish This.” In the caption, she wrote, “Anyone who does not defend America has their own rights. And, I’m heart broken when I observe. I grew up with outstanding groups of diverse people ... and NOW I WILL DEFEND OUR GROUND! Potomac Panthers #Virginia slide on in for the #WINNING #Trump2020LandslideVictory.”
According to a LinkedIn profile that appears to belong to Sixkiller-Cramer, she works as a registered cardiovascular invasive specialist at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. A spokesperson for the hospital did not confirm whether Sixkiller-Cramer was an employee there. Sixkiller-Cramer did not respond to a request for comment.
Other rioters’ social media posts showed how they truly believed they could get Congress to “stop the steal” and overturn the results of the election by “protesting.”
David Fitzgerald, a tattoo artist from Illinois who was arrested for curfew violation and unlawful entry, was prepared for the events of Jan. 6 a week before.
In a Jan. 1 post on Facebook, Fitzgerald wrote: “Transportation. Arranged. Lodging. Confirmed. Cold weather clothes. Acquired. Oath. Sworn. 1/6/21. Reality.”
He also posted a photo of himself in the jacket he was going to wear at the Jan. 6 rally, saying that he was on a "mission" to serve his country.
Fitzgerald documented his car journey from Illinois to DC in several videos posted on Facebook. In one video, someone is overheard saying that they will avoid looking like Trump supporters when they check into the hotel.
He also posted videos of himself smoking joints at the Lincoln Memorial a day before the riots. In another video, a man is overheard referring to the Jan. 6 rally and talking about how “these Chinese ****” have invaded “our country.”
“We’re here for the same **** reason,” Fitzgerald replies. “Whatever happens, we’re all in.”
He posted a photo of himself wearing what appeared to be a bulletproof vest with a “Make America Great Again” label and a US flag stitched on, with the caption, "Let's roll."
He livestreamed a video in the aftermath of the assault on the Capitol in which an officer tells him he’s going to be arrested for violating the 6 p.m. curfew. In a comment on the video, Fitzgerald wrote, “I’m under arrest.”
Fitzgerald's posts leading up to Jan. 6 were filled with anti-government propaganda and references to Trump’s baseless claims about the election.
“President Trump is following the U.S. Constitution. That's not sedition. That's not treason. That's patriotism,” he said in one Jan. 2 post.
“Beware the Kraken. Inbound,” he wrote in a Jan. 5 post, referring to the phrase Trump’s lawyer Sidney Powell used to falsely claim that she had mountains of evidence to disprove Biden’s victory, which turned out to be unfounded allegations and conspiracy theories.
Fitzgerald vehemently denied entering the Capitol building, telling BuzzFeed News that he had attended Trump’s rally and then remained outside the entire day, watching the mob breach the Capitol from the grounds. He maintained that he was only arrested because he broke the curfew while standing outside.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ta ... cial-media
Trump might not be far behind them.